Stressed out: How should newsrooms handle trauma?

The rampage inside a Colorado movie theater that killed 12
people and injured dozens more is the most recent reminder that a journalist
anywhere can face sudden, great emotional
stress. Any story involving tragedy--from domestic violence to natural
disasters--can inflict an emotional toll on field journalists. The very empathy that
makes a journalist a good storyteller puts him or her at risk.

Today's newsrooms managers are increasingly attuned to the
problem of stress among their staff members and are willing to provide help. Yet
there remains the legacy of newsrooms past, when stress was ignored or even
derided. And with news organizations cutting staff, freelancers are
increasingly doing frontline reporting. These freelancers often don't enjoy the
same level of organizational support, even as they confront the same level of
stress.

I've recently addressed the topic of stress in forums on multiple
continents. I speak from both my own experience with emotional
trauma, and from the insights I've gained from colleagues. One thing is
clear: The attitude of newsroom managers is crucial in helping journalists work
through their stress.

Terminology can get in the way, though. Imagine your boss
coming up to you and saying: "Bob, we need to talk. I think you have PTSD." Using
the term is likely to be off-putting or threatening, but it is also likely to
be inaccurate. Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder is a clinical diagnosis that involves prolonged symptoms of
stress. Some experts are coming to see the term PTSD as outdated. The term is
under review by the psychiatric community, which is weighing whether to replace
it with Post-Traumatic
Stress Injury, a term that, like another one, Post-Traumatic
Stress Growth, connotes the possibility of healing and recovery.

Good newsroom management addresses emotional stress before
it becomes a prolonged condition. Journalists often, even regularly, navigate stress
in an ongoing way. These are the common emotions that surround any severe
tragedy: shock, anger, grief, guilt, shame, sadness, or fear. It is normal for
journalists to experience strong emotions when covering abnormal situations
involving abuse, violence, and loss of life. The journalists who somehow remain
stoic in the face of repeated, horrific stories may find themselves suddenly
overwhelmed by the same emotions years or even decades down the road.

Field journalists and newsroom managers alike need to be
aware of the signs of stress. They include insomnia, nightmares, anxiousness,
irritability, difficulty concentrating, confusion, numbness, or withdrawal,
along with compulsive behaviors involving perhaps food, alcohol, drugs, sex, or
even work. Many symptoms are normal, but if they persist for more a month there
may be need for help. Certainly after three months, these symptoms deserve
attention.

There are many treatment options from which to choose. One caveat:
Avoid taking guidance from any expert or group promoting only their own approach.
Instead, become informed and make the decision yourself.

Speaking to a qualified
counselor is the most common option, and most therapists have plenty of
experience helping people with post-traumatic stress. Peer counseling
with colleagues in the newsroom is another option, and this can be effective
after sudden mass tragedies such as the Colorado movie theater shooting. Seeing
a psychiatrist or medical doctor who can prescribe medication may be recommended
for some individuals.

There are other options as well. Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, sounds
mysterious. But it can be as simple as a social worker moving his finger from
side to side in front of an individual recounting a painful story; stimulating
different hemispheres of the brain while recalling a memory can change the way
it is stored. Mind-body practices offer another approach. Acupuncture is one of
the few therapies shown to be effective, for instance, for torture
victims. Other practices, from meditation and yoga to tai chi and
qigong, can help individuals heal from trauma.

Sound crazy? The U.S. National Institutes of Health cites
studies showing effective results from each of the above the treatments,
including the mind-body
practices. Regular physical exercise is another good idea, as it breaks
down the hormones secreted during stress.

Journalists need three things to process stress and recover
from any prolonged condition. First, they need support without judgment from
their colleagues and superiors. Some people are ashamed of needing help--that somehow
they don't measure up to the image of a thick-skinned correspondent.

Second, they need the space and time to take care of themselves.
Trauma affects every individual differently, and pre-existing conditions may be
triggered by recent events. Unpacking complicated emotions is a process, and it
takes time to recover and heal.

Third, journalists need the privacy to share only what they
want, when they want to share it, with others, even if it means sharing nothing
at all. Newsrooms should provide support from behind a firewall, so that
managers do not necessarily even know who is receiving newsroom-provided
support.

There are still many unhelpful attitudes in the profession.
I once shared a dais with a broadcast personality who derided the entire notion
of emotional stress among journalists, suggesting that only an unstable
reporter would be affected. Conversely, I recently heard a mid-level news manager
say there is no longer any stigma to a correspondent saying he or she is
suffering from post-traumatic stress.

We shouldn't kid ourselves. My CPJ colleagues and I hear
regularly from journalists of all types about the stress they face in the
field. Many say they don't dare tell their bosses for fear of losing an
assignment or their stature in the newsroom.

The good news is this: Not only are many journalists and
others resilient and able to bounce back from emotional trauma, but even those
who develop a prolonged condition can recover, if not thrive. Researchers at
the University of North Carolina
at Charlotte have established that people can learn from and grow after
recovering from traumatic events to end up healthier, happier, and more
balanced than they were before.

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